So-called torque demand control in the power system of an automobile has been conventionally known that responds to a torque request by collectively controlling more than one actuator, such as a throttle valve and an igniter, of an internal combustion engine. As an example, the torque controller described in Patent Document 1, to increase the engine torque, divides an increment into two sub-increments and determines a request value for throttle opening degree and a request value for ignition timing by taking the respective sub-increments into consideration, so that the target torque is achieved by the sum of the sub-increments through the collective operation of the throttle valve and the igniter.
This example also focuses on differences in response sensitivity of the torque changes achieved through the control of the throttle opening degree and those achieved through the control of the ignition timing. The controller assigns a higher increment distribution priority to a device with a lower response sensitivity.
This controller could produce an excessively large target throttle opening degree due to a computational abnormality, such as a RAM alteration or a RAM value abnormality, resulting in unintended excessive torque generation. That may cause the driver to have a sense of strangeness. Regarding this issue, Patent Document 1, for example in paragraphs 0159 and 0160, describes that whether or not there has occurred an abnormality in the target torque signal generation function is determined based on a difference between a target torque (torque request) and an instruction value that is given to an actuator (throttle valve).